Cat gone missing leaving 5 week old kittens behind!

Bog Butter

My cat has not being seen in 24 hours. She has left her 2 kittens behind. They are nearly 5 weeks old and are eating solid food. Is this normal for a mother cat to go off like that? Could it be that she is simply gone off hunting or mating? She had been eating at least one tin of cat food every day so she shouldn't have been hungry. I rang my vets and they reckon because the kittens are eating solids they should be ok with minding. But I wonder will their mother come back? Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated.

Harris

She will most likely be back. It's quite normal for them to go off when the kittens are that age. God she needs a break!
Just carry on as normal and she will turn up.
Good luck!

Bog Butter

Thanks for that. I hope you're right. The male kitten is eating like a horse by the way.

The Sweeper

Your cat could have come back into heat. Otherwise, check around your property and on the roads and ditches, neighbour's sheds and garages, etc etc. to see if something happened to her. If the two kittens are weaned, that's a good thing at this stage.

I never give milk to an adult cat, but some breeders recommend giving lactose-free milk, like Whiskas kitten milk, to young kittens who aren't nursing for the calcium boost it provides. Just watch that it doesn't give them the runs. Lactose free should be very gentle on kitten stomachs, and it helps keep them hydrated. Over time you can even dilute it with some water - and always leave clean water out for them.

You need to be feeding the small kittens four times a day - and mix and match wet and dry foods, but try to steer clear of anything with fish in it (as most of the smelliest cat foods are fish based - daily fish is bad for cats over time, and the kittens will start to turn their noses up at any food that doesn't smell as good as fishy food).

It's good that it's summer - but watch the kittens don't end up wet and cold at any stage, and if they do, you'll need to supply a hot water bottle covered in a towel to substitute for mum if she doesn't return. They'll wash and comfort each other, but they're not as warm as they would be if their mum was there.

If she's not back in 72 hours, would you consider taking the kittens indoors to be raised for four to six more weeks? They'll be far more social and handle-able if you do this.

Keep an eye out for mum's return, and I wish you good luck with them.

Bog Butter

She is back. I found her yesterday locked in a shed which is only occasionaly visited; she had no way of getting out! She must have snuck in there unbeknown to us.

Do you think there might be permanent damage done to her health as a result of not having any food or drink in 4 days? She has lost weight but is not under weight though.

The Sweeper

Ack!!! CAT IN THE SHED!!!!

Sorry - you'd be amazed how many people that happens too. Not always with a happy ending either.

Re long-term health damage, she might have been able to get moisture from somewhere while she was in the shed. The four day starvation diet won't have done anything to her long term, but the dehydration isn't good for her.

You can tell if a cat is dehydrated by gently gathering the skin on the scruff of its neck, then releasing it - watch how quickly the skin resettles. It should be immediate. A slow resettling is an indication of dehydration.

Last thing malman - four days of no food or water may have caused her milk to dry up. Watch her with the kittens - if her milk's dried up, she can still be 'mum' to them but won't be able to suckle them any more - and I'd definitely book her in to be desexed at the vet inside the next two weeks or you'll be doing all this again within six months!

Bog Butter

Yeah I thought about that alright. But the kittens are eating now so its not so bad. Another thing though, I gave the cat and the kittens food last night and this morning she had the food covered with bits of paper and other rubbish from the garage in which she and the kittens are staying. Have you heard of mother cats doing that before?

The Sweeper

Yeah it's a default behaviour from the wild, where they will scratch material over the food to hide it if there's some left. It's instinctive. If my little female stumbles across food anywhere in our house, she'll scratch invisible things over it - even when there's nothing around to scratch she's still there, making with the big, spread-toed scratching of nothing. It's actually really cute.

Re the milk drying up - I'd be concerned it'll make your female cat come into heat sooner, so while I'm not worried about the kittens on that front, I'd be keeping an eye out for wandering tom cats she may attract. As well as knocking her up again, they may kill or badly injure her kittens - and even her, if she fights to defend the kittens.

Bog Butter

I have the garage secure so they she cannot get out of it. Here's a new pic of them.

HereticPrincess

Oh my, they are so adorable, I adore tabbies.
She's a beautiful cat!

Dixie Chick

That is such a lovely picture! The mother is gorgeous!